Article of footwear



Feb. 14, 1939.

A. A. GLIDDEN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR Filed Nov. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet lwad Feb. 14, 1939.

A. A. GLIDDEN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR Filed Nov. 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2J27 52-7525 i/faed Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR Alfred A. Glidden, Water-town, Mala. asslgnor toHood Rubber Company, Inc., Water-to This invention relates to articlesof footwear and to methods of making the same, and is especially usefulin the manufacture of shoes having textile uppers. Heretofore shoes foruse in playing athletic games and for similar purposes, sometimes calledsneakers or tennis shoes, have been manufactured from substantiallynonstretchable canvas or similar woven material. It has been thepractice to construct the uppers with a fabric lining attached to theupper by an intervening layer of rubber. In the manufacture of suchshoes 9. great amount of waste has been involved in the cutting of thefabric parts, and due to the substantially nonstretchable nature of thetextile material comprising the upper dimculty has been experienced inproviding the proper shape to such shoes. The resulting shoes are ofsuch a nonabsorbent nature and so impervious to moisture that discomforthas been caused to the wearer by perspiration. The woven materials whichhave been used in the uppers of such shoes are subject to objectionableshrinkage from repeated wetting and drying, adding further discomfort tothe wearer.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide comfort,stretchability. light weight, breathability and absorption properties inan article of footwear and to provide for economy of materials andconvenience of procedure in the manufacture of the same. Other objectswill appear from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings.

0f the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe embodying and made in accordancewith the invention, part of the rubber being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a detailed cross sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shoe of Fig. 1 during a stage of itsmanufacture, the parts of the shoe being partially assembled upon alast.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention inits completed form.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the upper margin of a shoeillustrating a further embodiment in which an overcast stitching isapplied to the margin.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the invention inwhich the elastic textile upper is removable from the remainder of theshoe.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the building of the rubberportions of the shoe of Fig. 6 upon a last, the rubber portion of theshoe being shown as partially completed.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the invention inits completed form.

Referring to the drawings, the invention contemplates the construction"of an article of footwear in which an upper of extensible and elastictextile material, such, for example, as knited material, and of suchextent as to form the complete upper including the insole, is fabricatedwithout substantial waste to the desired shape to accommodate the footwithout uncomfortable wrlngles. A reinforcing structure, preferably ofrubber is provided on the, outer face of the upper in formfittingcontact therewith without wrinkling or buckling of either of the parts,while preferably leaving extensive portions of the textile upper exposedto provide breathability and facility of flexing,

Referring to the drawings:

In proceeding according to the method of this inventiona complete andintegral, extensible and elastic, unlined shoe upper it is formed,preferably by knitting, to final form and without waste, of yarn whichmay be of any suitable material, such for example, as cotton, wool,combinations of cotton and wool, animal fibers such as mohair, alpaca.cellulose filaments such as rayon, cellulose acetate or the like,vegetable fibers such as jute, sisal, hemp or especially prepared fiberssuch as combinations of rayon,

shredded leather held together by resinous bodies,

natural or artificial dispersions of rubber or other agglutinousmaterial.

Infabricating the unitary upper, as by knitting, areas thereof which arenormally subjected to greater wear and in which a lower degree ofelasticity is desired, such as the toe l I and the heel portion It, maybe more densely fabricated to provide therein heavier weight and lessextensibility than in the other parts of the upper, as by changing thetype of stitch or amount or thickness of the yarn in the knitting. Otherareas, such as the ankle portion ii, are preferably made so as toprovide softness and elasticity, as by making them of ribbedconstruction, as shown.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1 the entire upper, preferably including theinsole, is fabricated as an integral, shaped, sock-like article althoughin some cases the insole portion may be omitted, if that is desired. Inany event the complete article preferably is formed as nearly to theshape of the last on which the shoe is to be built as possible. Thefabricated upper is slipped over the building last and the remainingparts of the shoe are assembled thereon and attached in formfittingrelation either by adhesion or .by sewing operations. The upper may bewetted either before or after being applied to the last and then driedon the last in order to more closely conform it to the shape of thelast.

In order to provide good ventilation and comfort it is desirable toleave as much of the elastic upper exposed as possible and all of thetrimming pieces are reduced to a minimum. In the embodiment of Fig. 1,after the upper has been applied to the last, the parts, preferably ofrubber including a counter l4, heel reinforcement l8, outsole I1 and ablucher saddle l8 having an integral heel strap I9, which encircles therear of the shoe, are mounted in place upon the upper as illustrated inFig. 3, and may be cemented thereto in the places where it is desired toattach the parts to the upper, and a foxing 20 is preferably appliedaround the lower portion of the shoe 'where it Joins the outer sole. Afiller or reinforcing layer 15, preferably of thin, rubberized fabric,may be provided to facilitate assembly and to provide a stronger unionof the outsole to the textile upper and to provide greater smoothness ofthe inner sole bottom. The article is then vulcanized preferably whileon the last and then removed therefrom. The eyelets |8a for receivingthe shoe lace I8b may be applied to the margins of the blucher saddle 18after vulcanization. The blucher saddle is permanently attached to theupper only at or near the sole leaving the eyeleted portion free. Whilerubber is the preferred material, some or all the parts applied to'theupper in this and the other embodiments may in some cases be of anyother suitable material, such as fabric, or natural or artificialleather. Where rubber is used, it may be unreinforced, or it may bereinforced, as by fabric, if desired. 1

In the embodiment of Fig. 4 the front of the upper has reinforcing stays2| secured, thereto, as by cementing or stitching, over the instep andextending to the top of the shoe, and the upper may be slit as at 22,preferably after vulcanization, to provide a vent extending from the topof the shoe to the instep in a forward direction, the stays beingprovided with eyelets 23 for lacing. A tongue 24 also may be provided.In some cases the tongue 24 and the slit 22 may be omitted, the staysbeing retained, however, to permit lacing, and for bracing. A strap 25may be provided, extending around the back of the foot and secured atits ends to the stays. As shown, the shoe may be of the low type withthe strap 25 extending along the top margin of the upper.

Where the cutting of the textile upper, to provide the slit 22, or forany other purpose, leaves a raw textile edge which might ravel or fray,the edges may be protected, as by an overcast stitch 26, as illustratedin Fig. 5, where the stitch is shown as extending not only along themargins of the slit, but also along the top margin of the upper at theleg opening.

Other modifications of the invention, in which the rubber portion of theshoe may be detachable from the textile upper to facilitate washing theupper, are illustrated in Figs. 6, '7 and 8.

In the embodiment of Figs. 6 and 7, the lower portion of the textileupper 21 is embraced by an integral rubber covering 28 having no lacingsor other fastening means, but provided with a sole 25 and formed withventilating and expansion-facilitating openings 30 which expose thetextile upper.

Whether or not the rubber portion 28 is to be attached to the upper itis preferably built upon the textile upper while the latter is upon alast, as in the building of the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 and 4, or alast which corresponds in dimension and shape with the outside of thelasted textileupper 21 may be constructed, and the rubber portion may beassembled thereabout and vulcanized thereon, as illustrated in Fig. 7,in which a perforated sheet of material 28 is shown as being laid aboutthe last 3|, and the sole 29 is laid thereon in adhesive engagement withthe sheet 28. A filler or reinforcing layer 28a, like I5 of Fig. 3, maybeprovided if desired, to facilitate uniting the sole 29 to the part 28and to provide a smooth inner bottom. The vulcanized article will havethe same inside dimensions and shape as the textile upper 21 and the twomay be assembled without wrinkling of the upper or objectionablelocalized stretching of either of the parts. If desired, the rubber part28 may then be cemented to the textile upper over all or a part of theircontacting surfaces.

The embodiment ofFig. 8 may be constructed in similar manner. Here asole 32 is provided with a counter 33, toe cap 34, heel straps 35, andsole straps 36, united to each other. This rubber structure may beassembled either upon a last having the textile upper 31 thereon, orupon a last formed to the same outside dimensions and shape as theoutside of the lasted upper 31, and vulcanized thereon. If the rubberportion has been formed without the use of the I textile upper, theupper is then placed therein. Eyelets 38 and a lacing 39 are providedfor securing the shoe on the foot. In this embodiment, also, the uppermay be either removable or cemented or otherwise attached in place overat least a portion of the area of contact with the rubber parts.

An article of footwear constructed according to the invention hasdecided advantages over articles of footwear heretofore produced.Because of the unlined, absorbent nature of the upper perspiration isreadily absorbed and evaporated from the foot. The high porosity of theupper provides good ventilation, and the flexibility of the upper andits inherent elasticity provide a degree of comfort comparable towearing well fitted socks without shoes, while the outsole, which may beof any desired type and may be of crepe soling or may be molded toprovide any desired anti-skid surface, provides adequate traction andprotects the feet in walking. Where the foxing 20 is extended for asubstantial distance above the sole the shoe may be used upon wet floorswithout wetting the feet. Comfort to the wearer is contributed to in alarge measure by the fact that the outer parts of the shoe, whetherattached to the upper or not, are built to fit each other so that theshoe will fit the wearer without wrinkles or other undesirablenon-foot-conforming malformations.

Since the entire upper of the shoe, including the insole, preferably isformed of continuous elastic textile material, such shoes may be worndirectly over the feet without the use of stockings or socks. Thestretchability of the upper, especially when an upwardly-extending,flexible rubber sole and foxing are provided, permits the elimination ofhalf sizes and makes it easier to provide a good fit.

I claim:

1. A shoe having an upper of porous elastic material providing anelastic top portion, a less flexible midportion and substantially lessflexible portions at the lower margin of its sides andat its toe andheel, a sole on said upper and a bracing structure secured to the soleand extending over the instep portion of the upper to restrain the upperfrom being excessively stretched, the bracing structure covering only aportion of the upper thereby leaving extensive ventilating area of thelatter exposed.

2. A shoe having an upper of knitted material providing elasticity andventilating porosity by virtue of the knitted construction, a sole onthe upper, and a bracing structure secured to the sole and extendingover the instep portion of the upper to restrain the upper from beingexcessively stretched, the bracing structure covering only a portion ofthe upper thereby leaving extensive ventilating area of the latterexposed and said upper having in the foot portion below the ankle aplurality of zones of knitted material of difierent degrees of stiflnessmerged integrally by knitted union with one another to provide localizedreinforcement of the knitted material acting in cooperation with saidbracing structure to resist excessive localized stretching whileproviding portion of said bracing structure a zone of increased densityof knitting merging with a zone of the knitted material of less denseknitting spaced from the bracing structure to provide localreinforcement of the knitted material at the margin of the bracingstructure against excessive localized stretching.

4. A shoe having an upperof such knitted construction as to provide anelastic top portion, a less flexible midportion and a substantially lessflexible lower portion, the upper being porous for ventilation by virtueof the knitted construction, a sole on the upper, and a bracingstructure secured to the sole and extending over the instep portion ofthe upper to restrain the knitted upper from, being excessivelystretched, the bracing structure covering only a portion of the upperthereby leaving extensive ventilating area of the latter exposed.

5. A shoe having a sock-like upper of such knitted construction as toprovide an elastic top portion, a less flexible midportion, andsubstantially less flexible portions at the lower margin of its sidesand at its toe and heel, a sole essentially of rubber adhered to theupper and a bracing structure essentially of rubber for restraining theupper from being excessively stretched, said structure comprising aportion adhered to the sole and extending over the instep of the upperand a portion adhered to the sole at the heel and extending forwardlyaround the upper. the bracing structure covering only a portion of theupper thereby leaving extensive ventilating area of the latter exposed.

ALFRED A. GLIDDEN.

